BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hoose, Philip. 2009. CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. SquareFish. ISBN 9780374313227
2. PLOT SUMMARY
When it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can't sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say, 'This is not right.'" - Claudette Colvin On March 2, 1955, an impassioned teenager, fed up with the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation, refused to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of being celebrated as Rosa Parks would be just nine months later, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin found herself shunned by her classmates and dismissed by community leaders. Undaunted, a year later she dared to challenge segregation again as a key plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle , the landmark case that struck down the segregation laws of Montgomery and swept away the legal underpinnings of the Jim Crow South. Based on extensive interviews with Claudette Colvin and many others, Phillip Hoose presents the first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure, skillfully weaving her dramatic story into the fabric of the historic Montgomery bus boycott and court case that would change the course of American history. Claudette Colvin is the National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature, a Newbery Honor Book, A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist, and a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this book, we can see how Hoose’s writing really gives the readers a big idea on just how big Claudette Colvin in history she is. He gives us a lot of information but breaks it down in chewable pieces for readers to understand just how crucial the time period was. We get to see photographs, small pieces of writing to the sides to give us more detail to the parts of the story. Hoose dwindles with a lot of themes throughout this text, such as: recognition, the invisibility that Claudette goes through because there were other issues that were happening that sort of overshadowed her struggle, but all in all we still get to see her courage and youth activism since she was just 15 years old. Claudette standing up to segregation laws was such a brave act for her young age to take on the role of being the change that was needed. Hoose does a great job in his writing detailing it so that we can see just how much of a pivotal moment this was for the time period.
Overall, we can see just how much of an impact her story had then and now, and the impact it will still have on the future. We have to acknowledge what has taken place in the past to make sure that we do not repeat it, and Hoose did an amazon job at writing her story and giving us hope for the future.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus Reviews
Claudette Colvin's story will be new to most readers. A teenager in the 1950s, Colvin was the first African-American to refuse to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Ala. Although she later participated with four other women in the court case that effectively ended segregated bus service, it is Rosa Parks's action that became the celebrated event of the bus boycott. Hoose's frank examination of Colvin's life includes sizable passages in her own words, allowing readers to learn about the events of the time from a unique and personal perspective. The sequence of events unfolds clearly, with its large cast of characters distinctly delineated. Period photographs and reprints of newspaper articles effectively evoke the tenor of the times. Both Colvin and the author speculate that it was Colvin's unplanned (and unwed) pregnancy that prevented her from being embraced as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Her commitment to combating injustice, however, was unaffected, and she remains an inspiring figure whom contemporary readers will be pleased to discover. (notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 & up)
Starred Review ALA Booklist (2/1/09)
*Starred Review* Nine months before Rosa Parks' history-making protest on a city bus, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old Montgomery, Alabama, high-school student, was arrested and jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Hoose draws from numerous personal interviews with Colvin in this exceptional title that is part historical account, part memoir. Hoose's lucid explanations of background figures and events alternate with lengthy passages in Colvin's own words, and the mix of voices creates a comprehensive view of the Montgomery bus boycott and the landmark court case, Browder v. Gayle, that grew from it. At the center of the headline-grabbing turmoil is teenager Colvin, who became pregnant during the boycott; and her frank, candid words about both her personal and political experiences will galvanize young readers. On each attractively designed spread, text boxes and archival images, including photos and reproduced documents, extend the gripping story. As in Hoose's We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History (2001), this inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single young person can make, even as it demonstrates the multitude of interconnected lives that create and sustain a political movement. Thorough chapter notes and suggestions for further reading close this title, which will find an avid readership beyond the classroom.
Horn Book
In 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, fifteen-year-old Colvin refused to give up her seat on the bus. Hoose fashions a compelling narrative that balances the momentous events of the civil rights movement with the personal crises of a courageous young woman. This vivid and dramatic account, complemented with photographs, sidebars, and liberal excerpts from interviews with Colvin, reasserts her place in history. Bib., ind.
5. CONNECTIONS
Segregation: What new key details did you learn about or from this book that you didn’t know before?
Youth Activism: How can anyone be involved in showing up for others? What does this show you about the youth, do you think changes need to happen so that they take them more seriously? Why do you think people struggle to listen to them?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Heiligman,Deborah.2009.CHARLES AND EMMA: THE DARWINS LEAP OF FAITH. HenryHolt&Co. ISBN 9780805087215
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species , his revolutionary tract on evolution and the fundamental ideas involved, in 1859. Nearly 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to create tension between the scientific and religious communities. Challenges about teaching the theory of evolution in schools occur annually all over the country. This same debate raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in his marriage: his wife, Emma, was quite religious, and her faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on a theory that continues to spark intense debates. Deborah Heiligman's new biography of Charles Darwin is a thought-provoking account of the man behind evolutionary theory: how his personal life affected his work and vice versa. The end result is an engaging exploration of history, science, and religion for young readers. Charles and Emma is a 2009 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this book we are able to see Heiligman tackle religion and love and we see how both can coexist within the science part that is of Darwin. Most of us grew up listening about Darwin and his contribution to the science world by giving us his theory of evolution. We don’t really ever grow up hearing about his human side who falls in love with Emma. Despite how different their beliefs were they were able to respect each other, and more importantly love each other. Throughout the text we get to see just how equally devoted Chharles was as a husband and a father, when the world may only know his work through evolution and think that that was all he was devoted to. We see how Emma supports him as his wife, regardless of her beliefs and how they still had to struggle through the issues that may have arisen because of their differences.
All in all, this book humanizes Darwin, gives us a different perspective than what we are used to seeing, and gets us to empathize with how challenging it may have been for them to maneuver their relationship regardless of what society thought based on their beliefs at the time.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred Review for Publishers Weekly
This rewarding biography of Charles Darwin investigates his marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Heiligman (the Holidays Around the World series) has good reason for this unusual approach: as deeply as they loved each other, Emma believed in God, and Charles believed in reason. Embracing the paradoxes in her subjects' personalities, the author unfolds a sympathetic and illuminating account, bolstered by quotations from their personal writings as well as significant research into the historical context. We meet Charles as he weighs the pros and cons of wedded life—but then seeks his father's advice (Darwin père urges him to conceal his religious doubts); Emma becomes a more fervent believer after the death of her favorite (and more religious) sister. Heiligman writes for motivated readers, and her style can be discursive (mention of a letter can introduce a few sentences on the British postal system). Her book allows readers not only to understand Darwin's ideas, but to appreciate how Emma's responses tempered them. Eight pages of photos, not seen by PW. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)
Horn Book (8/1/09)
With empathy and humor, Heiligman's narrative examines Darwin's legacy through the unique lens of his domestic life. Charles's wife Emma, devoutly religious, supported him but feared for his eternal welfare. Charles, in turn, wanted to please Emma, but not at the expense of science. This timely, relevant book works as a history of science, a biography, and a romance. Bib., ind.
Kirkus Reviews
This rich, insightful portrait of Charles and Emma Darwin's marriage explores a dimension of the naturalist's life that has heretofore been largely ignored. Emma was devoutly religious while Charles's agnosticism increased as he delved deeper into his studies of natural history, but they did not let this difference come between them. While unable to agree with Charles's theory that essentially eliminated God from the process of creation, Emma remained open-minded and supportive, even reading drafts of The Origin of Species and suggesting improvements. Using excerpts from correspondence, diaries and journals, Heiligman portrays a relationship grounded in mutual respect. The narrative conveys a vivid sense of what life was like in Victorian England, particularly the high infant mortality rate that marred the Darwins' happiness and the challenges Charles faced in deciding to publish his controversial theory. While this book does not serve as an introduction to Darwin's life and ideas, readers wanting to know more will discover two brilliant thinkers whose marital dialectic will provide rich fodder for discussions of science and faith. (introduction, source notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 & up)
5. CONNECTIONS
Charles Darwin: We can discuss just how differently we got to know him through this book than when we learned a lesson about evolution. Asking students: Did this change your perspective on him? Did anything stand out to you? What would you like to learn more about?
Religion & Science: this can open up conversations about how people with different beliefs can still coexist, regardless of their differences.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ogle,Rex. 2021. FREE LUNCH. W.W Norton. ISBN 9781324003601
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex's mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he's on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout. Free Lunch is the story of Rex's efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade--who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he's trouble--all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives. Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex's voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
When reading “Free Lunch” Ogle was able to really give us the real and raw emotions that students who are using a program such as “Free Lunch”go through. He is able to give the reader a real life experience in what he goes through every single time he is in the lunch line and just the anxiety of it all. We learn his story at home is just “fight or flight” mode, and how he has to tread on eggshells around his mother and her boyfriend. We see the reality that students may go through, and the reason as to why some students may act out because they really want to be seen. Ogle is an intelligent boy, and he loves to read and it was so disheartening to see that his mother didn’t value the same things he did and how he just had to go with the flow of things. Ogle wanted so badly to fit in, and not in the way of following trends but to just be “normal” like all the other students, have money for lunch and just the basic necessities, since this was something he had not experienced before.
As this memoir goes on we can see Ogles resilience and strength in himself, that regardless of his obstacles he will not give up and go after what he wants. We can see just how empathetic he is towards his mother regardless of how she is with him. In this book we can see that different family dynamics are at times difficult to go through and just how Ogle was able to go through this difficult situation. Overall, this was a very eye opening book and has a huge impact on its readers.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Booklist (8/1/19)
Middle school can be daunting, even under ideal conditions. But if, like Rex, you are also dealing with a father who abandoned you, a mother and her boyfriend who beat you, food and housing insecurity, and the stigma of free lunch, the results can be overwhelming. Ogle's memoir details the first semester of sixth grade, where his grade-school friends desert him for football; some teachers prejudge him because he is poor and Hispanic; and the elderly, deaf lunch lady never remembers his name, forcing him to loudly announce his situation daily. Eventually, he meets fellow outsider Ethan, who introduces him to the world of comics and true friendship. Ogle's engrossing narrative is rich in lived experience, offering a window into the ways that poverty can lead to domestic violence and feelings of unworthiness. The abuse Rex and his mother suffer will disturb many; too many others will recognize Rex's circumstances as their own. Appended with an author's note, Q&A, and social services resources, this is an important and ultimately hopeful memoir.
Kirkus Reviews (4/23/24)
Recounting his childhood experiences in sixth grade, Ogle's memoir chronicles the punishing consequences of poverty and violence on himself and his family.The start of middle school brings about unwanted changes in young Rex's life. His old friendships devolve as his school friends join the football team and slowly edge him out. His new English teacher discriminates against him due to his dark skin (Rex is biracial, with a white absentee dad and a Mexican mom) and secondhand clothes, both too large and too small. Seemingly worse, his mom enrolls him in the school's free-lunch program, much to his embarrassment. "Now everyone knows I'm nothing but trailer trash." His painful home life proffers little sanctuary thanks to his mom, who swings from occasional caregiver to violent tyrant at the slightest provocation, and his white stepdad, an abusive racist whose aggression outrivals that of Rex's mom. Balancing the persistent flashes of brutality, Ogle magnificently includes sprouts of hope, whether it's the beginnings of a friendship with a "weird" schoolmate, joyful moments with his younger brother, or lessons of perseverance from Abuela. These slivers of relative levity counteract the toxic relationship between young Rex, a boy prone to heated outbursts and suppressed feelings, and his mother, a fully three-dimensional character who's viciously thrashing against the burden of poverty. It's a fine balance carried by the author's outstanding, gracious writing and a clear eye for the penetrating truth.A mighty portrait of poverty amid cruelty and optimism. (author's note, author Q&A, discussion guide, writing guide, resources) (Memoir. 9-12)
5. CONNECTIONS
School Children: This book can be connected to bullying, and can be a great conversation starter to how we can help those when we are in a situation where we see it happening and standing up for them. Within this, we can have discussions on poverty, and how we can play our part in helping.
Economic hardships: This book can open up conversations about economic hardships that students may go through and this could even lead to a service project in which students can find ways to help those who may be going through a rough time. This can also build empathy within the classroom.
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